Vocab Flashcards

Question

paroxysmal

Answer 1

sudden recurrence or intensification; paroxysm-outburst paroxysm |ˈparəkˌsizəm| noun a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity: a paroxysm of weeping. • Medicine a sudden recurrence or attack of a disease; a sudden worsening of symptoms. DERIVATIVES paroxysmal |ˌparəkˈsizməl|adjective ORIGIN late Middle English: from French paroxysme, via medieval Latin from Greek paroxusmos, from paroxunein ‘exasperate,’ from para- ‘beyond’ + oxunein ‘sharpen’ (from oxus ‘sharp’).

Answer 2

protection backing support aegis |ˈējis| noun [ in sing. ] the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization: negotiations were conducted under the aegis of the UN. • (in classical art and mythology) an attribute of Zeus and Athena (or their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) usually represented as a goatskin shield. ORIGIN early 17th cent. (denoting armor or a shield, esp. that of a god): via Latin from Greek aigis ‘shield of Zeus.’

Answer 3

corrupt capable of being bought venal |ˈvēnl| adjective showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery: why should these venal politicians care how they are rated? | their generosity had been at least partly venal. DERIVATIVES venality |vēˈnalətē, və-|noun, venally adverb ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘available for purchase,’ referring to merchandise or a favor): from Latin venalis, from venum ‘thing for sale.’ usage: Venal and venial are sometimes confused. Venal means 'corrupt, able to be bribed, or involving bribery': local customs officials are notoriously venal, and smuggling thrives. Venial is used to describe a sin or offense that is 'pardonable, excusable, not mortal': in our high school, smoking cigarettes was a venial sin.

Answer 4

obscure difficult to understand esoteric abstruse |abˈstro͞os| adjective difficult to understand; obscure: an abstruse philosophical inquiry. DERIVATIVES abstrusely adverb, abstruseness noun ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin abstrusus ‘put away, hidden,’ from abstrudere ‘conceal,’ from ab- ‘from’ + trudere ‘to push.’

Answer 5

feeble having lost vigor (plant) pale due to lack of light etiolated |ˈētēəˌlātid| adjective (of a plant) pale and drawn out due to a lack of light: etiolated mung bean seedlings. • having lost vigor or substance; feeble: a tone of etiolated nostalgia. DERIVATIVES etiolation |ˌētēəˈlāSHən|noun ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from the verb etiolate (from French étioler, from Norman French étieuler ‘grow into haulm’) + -ed2.

Answer 6

- work and concerns traditionally considered important to women - women considered as a group - women's work distaff |ˈdistaf| noun a stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning. • [ as modifier ] of or concerning women. ORIGIN Old English distæf: the first element is apparently related to Middle Low German dise, disene ‘distaff, bunch of flax’; the second is staff1. The extended sense arose because spinning was traditionally done by women.

Answer 7

view that the self is the only thing that can be known solipsism |ˈsälipˌsizəm| noun the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist. DERIVATIVES solipsist noun, solipsistic |ˌsälipˈsistik|adjective, solipsistically |ˌsälipˈsistik(ə)lē|adverb ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Latin solus ‘alone’ + ipse ‘self’ + -ism.

Answer 8

honesty and decency having strong moral principles probity |ˈprōbitē| noun formal the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency: financial probity. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin probitas, from probus ‘good.’

Answer 9

to concilate, to appease or win favor of propitiate |prəˈpiSHēˌāt| verb [ with obj. ] win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them: the pagans thought it was important to propitiate the gods with sacrifices. DERIVATIVES propitiator |-ˌātər|noun, propitiatory |-ˈpiSHēəˌtôrē|adjective ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin propitiat- ‘made favorable,’ from the verb propitiare, from propitius ‘favorable, gracious’ (see propitious) .

Answer 10

unemotional; lacking sensitivity ``` stolid |ˈstälid| adjective (of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation. DERIVATIVES stolidity |stəˈliditē|noun, stolidly adverb, stolidness noun ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from obsolete French stolide or Latin stolidus (perhaps related to stultus ‘foolish’). ```

Answer 11

lacking deliberation; to throw violently or bring about abruptly precipitate verb |priˈsipəˌtāt| [ with obj. ] 1 cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely: the incident precipitated a political crisis. • cause to move suddenly and with force: suddenly the ladder broke, precipitating them down into a heap. • (precipitate someone/something into) send someone or something suddenly into a particular state or condition: they were precipitated into a conflict for which they were quite unprepared. 2 Chemistry cause (a substance) to be deposited in solid form from a solution. • cause (drops of moisture or particles of dust) to be deposited from the atmosphere or from a vapor or suspension. adjective |priˈsipətət| done, made, or acting suddenly or without careful consideration: I must apologize for my staff—their actions were precipitate. • (of an event or situation) occurring suddenly or abruptly: a precipitate decline in cultural literacy. noun |priˈsipətət, -əˌtāt|Chemistry a substance precipitated from a solution. [from modern Latin praecipitatum .] DERIVATIVES precipitable |priˈsipətəbəl|adjective, precipitately |priˈsipətətlē|adverb, precipitateness |priˈsipətətnəs|noun ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from Latin praecipitat- ‘thrown headlong,’ from the verb praecipitare, from praeceps, praecip(it)- ‘headlong,’ from prae ‘before’ + caput ‘head.’ The original sense of the verb was ‘hurl down, send violently’; hence ‘cause to move rapidly,’ which gave rise to sense 1 (early 17th cent). usage: The adjectives precipitate and precipitous are sometimes confused. Precipitate means ‘sudden, hasty’: a precipitate decision | the fugitive's precipitate flight. Precipitous means ‘steep’: the precipitous slope of the mountain | a precipitous decline in stock prices.

Answer 12

destroy completely tear up by the roots extirpate |ˈekstərˌpāt| verb [ with obj. ] root out and destroy completely: the use of every legal measure to extirpate this horrible evil from the land. DERIVATIVES extirpation |ˌekstərˈpāSHən|noun, extirpator |-ˌpātər|noun ORIGIN late Middle English (as extirpation): from Latin exstirpare, from ex- ‘out’ + stirps ‘a stem.’

Answer 13

caustic mordant |ˈmôrdnt| adjective (esp. of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting: a mordant sense of humor. noun a substance, typically an inorganic oxide, that combines with a dye or stain and thereby fixes it in a material. • an adhesive compound for fixing gold leaf. • a corrosive liquid used to etch the lines on a printing plate. verb [ with obj. ] impregnate or treat (a fabric) with a mordant. DERIVATIVES mordancy |-dnsē|noun, mordantly adverb ORIGIN late 15th cent.: from French, present participle of mordre ‘to bite,’ from Latin mordere .

Answer 14

a treatise a public speech in praise of someone or something panegyric |ˌpanəˈjirik| noun a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something: Vera's panegyric on friendship. DERIVATIVES panegyrical |-ˈjirikəl|adjective, panegyrically adverb ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from French panégyrique, via Latin from Greek panēgurikos ‘of public assembly,’ from pan ‘all’ + aguris ‘agora, assembly.’

Answer 15

untruthfulness mendacity |menˈdasitē| noun untruthfulness: people publicly castigated for past mendacity. ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from ecclesiastical Latin mendacitas, from mendax, mendac- ‘lying’ (see mendacious) .

Vocab Flashcards

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